Thirty-one broadcasters have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as Ford C. Frick Award winners. But none also was enshrined in Cooperstown as a player.

Bert Blyleven has a chance to be the first.

Blyleven, the former pitcher for the Twins, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates and California Angels, was inducted as a player in 2011. Now the Twins' television analyst is among 41 finalists for the Frick Award via fan Facebook balloting that ended Sept. 7.

Those 41 will be pared to three by fans Oct. 5. Then a 21-member committee will add seven more finalists before the winner is elected in December.

"It's a very nice honor to have my name on the ballot; there are so many great broadcasters out there," Blyleven said of making the first cut.

"I'd have to write another speech."

Blyleven has been the Twins' analyst since 1995. He said his favorite broadcaster is Vin Scully.

"Because I grew up listening to him with the Dodgers," Blyleven said. "Then there's Dick Enberg with the Angels. And I came up (to the Twins) with Halsey Hall and Herb Carneal. I always thought John Gordon (Twins) was very professional, and Dick Bremer (his Twins TV partner) is very good and very knowledgeable."

Tim McCarver won last year's Ford C. Frick Award.

Twins superb play-by-play radio voice Cory Provus was in Milwaukee the other day for the unveiling of a statue of Bob Uecker outside the Brewers' Miller Park.

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Provus worked three seasons with Uecker before coming to the Twins this season.

"It was a who's who," Provus said of attendees. "Bob Costas was the emcee because he and Uecker are great friends. Doc Severinsen was there because 'Ueck' was on the 'Tonight Show' about 90 times.

"(Former NBC Sports chairman) Dick Ebersol also told a bunch of stories. He had talked with Johnny Carson over the phone about two weeks before (Carson) died. Ebersol said Johnny Carson had said that Bob Uecker was the funniest guest they ever had on the 'Tonight Show.' He said a lot of other people they had were scripted, had to write things down for them. With Bob, everything came from inside."

Hall of famer Hank Aaron introduced Uecker.

"It probably was the only time in the history of baseball that a guy with 755 home runs introduced a guy with 14," Provus said.

The emcee for Saturday's "Tom Kelly Day" jersey retirement ceremony at Target Field was Gordon, who at Kelly's request flew to Minneapolis from his home in Fort Myers, Fla. Gordon was the Twins' radio voice for 25 years before retiring after last season.

"I'm doing very well," Gordon, 72, said. "I'm playing golf on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and nine holes with (wife) Nancy on Sunday. My handicap's not any lower, but it's not any higher."

Gordon said he's happy in retirement.

"I was able to walk away from the game, and that really pleases me," he said. "I got a little homesick when the season started and I started charting the games, and after I started charting the games, I was OK. Everybody follows baseball."

Last March, for the first time not bound by baseball, Gordon said he was able to attend his daughter Jean's 41st birthday.

"I cried," he said.

If the Packers defeat the Bears on Thursday, Sept. 13 in Green Bay, and if the 49ers defeat Detroit on Sunday in San Francisco, and the Vikings defeat the Colts on Sunday in Indianapolis, the Vikings would lead the NFC North, local sportscaster Larry Fitzgerald Sr. points out.

Kentucky men's basketball coach John Calipari on Monday visited Apple Valley High School, where Tyus Jones is a junior point guard.

Tickets for Wednesday night's Twins-Royals game were being offered for 1 cent on StubHub. Buyers, though, would have to pay at least $10 in fees.

Beer and wine sales for the Gophers-New Hampshire football game Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium totaled approximately 15,327 servings, including 13,118 in general seating and 2,209 in premium/suite areas. Gross revenue was about $111,000. Six more home games remain.

DON'T PRINT THAT

John Gagliardi, 85, the St. John's football coaching legend who needs 14 victories to reach 500 in his career, hinted Wednesday -- for a moment, anyway -- that reaching the milestone might make it time to retire.

"I don't have many goals, but that's one of them," he said. "That (500) is a nice number to figure maybe that's enough; I don't know."

Asked if he were serious, Gagliardi, whose record is 486-133, said, "Well, no. But that makes a good story."

Gagliardi will coach his 600th game at St. John's on Saturday when the Johnnies (2-0) host St. Thomas (2-0).

"It's unbelievable how good St. Thomas is," he said. "They've always been tough, but now they've got everything going for them, facilities, coaching staff.

"The worst thing that happened to us is that (former Gophers athletics director-now chief administrative officer at St. Thomas) Mark Dienhart went over there and is making financial decisions. Mark should be president of the United States or something."

OVERHEARD

Gagliardi on being 85 and still successfully coaching football: "There are a lot of things that I can't believe, and that's one of them."